REIKI
I know many of you have heard of Reiki and some of you are Reiki Healers. But there is much more to Reiki than just healing. We all know that Reiki is a healing art that uses hands on the body or in the body’s energy field. Reiki is a spirit guided energy that comes through the Practitioner, not from the Practitioner. It is channeled Universal Life Force Energy.
The word Reiki means Universal Life Force energy. Rei means universal and Ki means vital life force energy. The energy exists in all living things. The Usui system of Reiki originated in Japan and is the simplest form of Reiki. There is also American Reiki. This form of Reiki was designed by William Rand, the founder of The International Center for Reiki Training in Detroit Michigan.
Reiki is not an occult or religion nor is it spiritual. However, I do find that once a person has experienced the Reiki energy, they do find themselves becoming spiritual. Not fanatical, just more appreciative of life and all its wonders. Reiki does not include hypnosis, ghosts, or demons. It is not magic or voodoo. It is simply the concentration of life force energy. It requires no special prayers or faith. People of all diversities can learn to use it and receive it.
We all know that if you rub your hands together and then slowly separate them, you will feel the energy between your hands. Reiki works off this energy. A Practitioner receives attunements to open their chakras to enable the energy to flow freely through their bodies and out through their hands.
So, where did Reiki come from?
According to Madame Takata, the origin of Reiki goes back to ancient Tibet. It was discovered by a Christian Monk named Mikao Usui in the mid to late 19thcentury. Dr. Usui was a principal of a Christian school in Kyoto Japan. When his students asked him how did Jesus heal? He could not answer. This one question propelled him to search for an answer. He resigned as principal of the seminary and left to study Christianity to obtain an answer.
Dr. Usui’s search led him to America where he attended the University of Chicago and became a Doctor of Theology. In his study he was unable to find the answers to hands on healing. Being multi-lingual, he was able to read Japanese, Chinese, English and Sanskrit. Reading through all these texts he still could not find an answer. He then left for India to further study additional holy teachings.
Dr Usui then traveled back to Japan where he discovered Sanskrit writings and Symbols in the old Buddhist Sutra. These writings seemed to hold the answer, but he was unable to read them. He then traveled to the Holy Mount of Kurijana to fast and meditate for 21 days. He hoped this would help him find the answer by contacting a higher consciousness as written in the Sanskrit formulas.
During this time, he mediated, chanted, and read the Sutra. On the last day, he saw a bright light speeding toward him. The light became larger and hit him in the center of the forehead. He then saw many bubbles of all the colors of the rainbow – which are also the colors of our chakras. This was followed by a white light that revealed the Sanskrit symbols. These symbols appear in a golden shimmer.
This was the beginning of the Usui system. When he returned to normal consciousness, he felt enlightened, strong. and energetic. He then rushed down the mountain where he stubbed his toe and fell. His toe was bleeding and painful. He placed his hands on it for a few minutes. The bleeding stopped and the pain disappeared. This was the first miracle.
Dr Usui was very hungry, so he stopped at the nearest inn. He ordered a large Japanese breakfast. The inn keeper, knowing Dr Usui had just fasted, advised him not to have such a big meal. However, Dr Usui ate the breakfast with no ill side effects. This is the second miracle.
The Granddaughter of the Inn Keeper was suffering with a bad tooth and a swollen face. Dr Usui placed his hands on her face, and she immediately felt better. She realized that this was no ordinary monk. Her healing was the third miracle.
Upon his return to his monastery, he decided to go to the slums of Koyoto to treat the beggars and help them attain a better life. He stayed there for 7 years. He noticed that the same people kept coming back. He asked them why they had not begun a new life They told him that working was much too hard, and that begging was better. This depressed Dr Usui. He realized that he had forgotten to reach the beggars gratitude. He then thought of the 5 principles of Reiki:
JUST FOR TODAY, DO NOT WORRY
To worry, is to forget that everything has a universal purpose. We need to live our lives to the best our abilities. Remember that even the negative situations have their purpose. Life lessons are best learned through negativity. Learn the lesson then release it; do not dwell on it. Appreciate it for what it was and move on.
JUST FOR TODAY, DO NOT ANGER
Anger is usually the result of a desire to control others. This does not keep us in accordance with our universal life purpose. Anger comes when our ego is hurt. All this leads us to grief in our lives destroying our good. Anger creates disharmony in the body which leads to dis-ease. Although anger is a human emotion, we must make a conscious effort to release it and move on.
JUST FOR TODAY, DO MY WORK HONESTLY.
Be honest with yourself! Do not deny reality no matter how difficult it may seem. It is easier to live in truth than it is to waste your energy on distorting life’s situations and lessons. One of my mottos in life has always been that nothing is so bad that I need to lie about it. Lying steals your energy.
HONOR YOUR PARENTS, TEACHERSS, ELDERS AND ALL LIVING THINGS
All life is scared. To survive this life, we must live in harmony and respect. First, we must love and respect ourselves. This leads us to be secure in ourselves, thus we are not threatened by others or any situation. It all comes back to being honest with ourselves. Also, remember that livings things include animals, plants and mother earth.
SHOW GRATITUDE FOR EVERYTHING
This is THEE most important principle. Each of the above lessons become easy when we show gratitude. Every person, situation, animal, or plant comes to us for a reason. Together, we are all one. To be grateful is to live in abundance. The more we appreciate our good, the more we bring to us. The more we are grateful, the less likely we are to feel unworthy and block our good. Mediating with palms up helps to bring in universal life force energy which will help to free the flow of abundance. Also, affirmations can play an important role in bringing about your good.
After Dr Usui designed the 5 Principles of Reiki, he went in search for people who were ill, oppressed, and wanted to be healed. He then searched for people looking for the light so that he could teach them. Before his death, De Usui taught Dr Chijiro Hayaki to the degree of Grand Master. Dr. Hayaki ran a clinic until 1940. Here he treated severe illnesses and diseases. This is where Madame Hawayo Takate received her first Reiki treatment. She later studied with Dr. Hayaki.
Madame Takate returned to her home in Hawaii and became a Master in 1938. Upon Dr Hayaski’s death in 1941, she became the Grand Master. Before her death in 1980 she trained 22 Reiki Masters. My lineage is directly connected to Madame Takata. I am the 3rd generation Master from her. I have been a Reiki Master for 29 years.
When searching for a Reiki Practitioner or Master, they should be loving and kindhearted. They should not be egotistic and self-centered. We channel Universal Life Force Energy; we do not materialize it ourselves. There is no room for egos in a Reiki practice. We channel the energy, we do not heal, the energy heals.
So, who can administer Reiki?
Anyone who has received a Reiki Attunement can administer Reiki. Attunements are the very heart of Reiki. These are not rituals, but they are the actual transmissions handed down from Dr Usui. They are a series of initiations whereby the Master opens the students to be a channel for cosmic energy. This attunement energy flows from the top of the student’s head and the upper chakras down through his hands. This increases the vibration of the body. The student then goes through a 21-day cleansing period. This cleansing period releases negative blockages in the body.
There are traditionally 3 degrees of Reiki.
The First Degree is beginner, the Second Degree is the sacred power symbols where one learns to send Reiki and then there is Master. In my lineage we had another degree between Second and Master. This degree adds several more power symbols and prepares the Student for Master. Speaking now only of my lineage, the Master Reiki degree is an intense 6 month study of not only Reiki but of oneself.
What do you feel during a Reiki Treatment?
Every experience is different. Some clients will feel hot, while others feel cold. I’ve had clients hear buzzing or music. Some laugh some cry. Some fall asleep. Some feel nothing at all.
What happens when it seems that Reiki doesn’t work?
This occurs for a number of reasons
- a person’s expectations may be different from the result
- a person may be scared, and this will block the energy
- a person cannot accept Reiki because it is not tangible
- a person wants to prove the Practitioner wrong – ego
- each dis-ease of the body is a lesson, and that lesson has not been learned.
Sometimes the lesson may be for the client or for the people around them.
- occasionally clients are secure in being at dis-ease. They know what they have and they’re not willing to let it go.
Reiki always flows naturally like a stream from the universe to the body. It will flow wherever it is needed. Reiki brings us back to harmony with the Universe aligning the body, mind, and spirit. It will bring us back to a state of wholeness and wellness. Reiki is a way of knowing. It is to promote healing and change on all levels; physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Reiki is life affirming that helps to bring joy and clarity through its daily practice. But Reiki is not a substitute for medical advice, counseling, or therapy.
I hope this essay has helped you to understand Reiki. If you have any questions, please contact me at maryann@eyesoflearning.org